Attachment for machines for compressing material into form.



PATBNTED MAY 10, 1904.

H. J. FLOOD. ATTACHMENT FOR MACHINES FOR COMPRESSING MATERIAL INTO FORM.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 29,1902.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 N0 MODEL.

PATENTED MAY 10, 1904.

I H. J. FLOOD. ATTACHMENT FOR MACHINES FOR GOMPRESSING MATERIAL INTO FORM.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 29, 1902.

2 SHEETS'SHBET 2.

N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented May 10, 1904.

HARRY J. FLOOD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ATTACHMENT FOR MACHINES FOR COMPRESSING MATERIAL INTO FORM.

SBEGIFIOATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 759,259, dated May 10, 1904. Application filed November 29, 1902. Serial No. 133,245. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY J. FLOOD, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have in vented a new and useful Improvement in Attachments for Machines for Oompressing Material into Form, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to attachments to machines for compressing material into form,and is especially applicable to the type of machine wherein the feed-box or charger reciprocates from a position beneath the feed spout or hopper to a position above the molds for carrying material from said spout or hopper to said molds. In this class of machines if the material to be compressed is pulverized and comparatively dry it readily falls through the feed-box and fills the molds in a satisfactory manner. If, however, the material is moist and has a tendency to form into lumps, it is liable to adhere to the sides of the feedbox and molds and will not fill the molds completely. It has been :found that if damp and sticky the material falls into the molds in broken masses having interstitial spaces and the resulting brick will not be of sufiicient weight and density. The object of the present invention is to overcome this difliculty and insure the complete filling of the molds even though the material be in a damp and sticky condition. 1 attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view, and Figs. 2 and 3 are side views, of a mold-table and feed-box, showing the attachment in place. In Figs. 1 and 2 the feed-box is in a retracted position, and in Fig. 3 it is ina projected position'over the molds. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view in perspective of one of the arm-bearing shafts. Figs. 5 and 6 are side views, on an enlarged scale, showing an arrangement of the sheaves and ropes on the charger when four arm bearing shafts are employed. Said Fig. 6 is in section looking in the direction of the arrows on the line 6 6 in'Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is a side view showing an arrangement of the sheaves and ropes when two arm-bearing shafts are employed.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The usual parts in machines of this type are the molds, the reciprocating feed-box, and the feed spout or hopper. These may be of various forms and construction; but a suitable construction is here shown, in which the molds (& are laterally inclosed within the end liners Z) and side liners 0. The machine here illustrated is a two-mold machine, and the adjacent side liners are separated by the partitionplate d.

The molds lie between the front table e and back table f, and said tables are held in their relative positions by means of the bolts r or in any other suitable manner. Any suitable means may be employed for retaining the molds laterally-that is, in a direction transverse to said bolts 9. The lower plungers it form the bottom of the molds, and the upper plunger-s i are adapted to enter the molds at the proper time to cooperate with the lower plungers to compress the material within the molds.

The mold-table comprises the molds (A, front table a, and back table above mentioned, and the feed-box or charger ,7' travels back and forth upon said mold-table in such a manner as to receive material from the feed-hopper it? and deliver it to the molds (1/. Said feed-hopper is laterally fixed and is located not directly above the mold, but at a point-laterally offset therefrom, the locationin the present instance being at a point behind the upper plungers.

The feed-box 7' is reciprocated by the rods m or other suitable means and extends substantially from the top surface of the molds to the lower edge of the hopper. As best shown in Figs. 1 and 6, the front of the feed-box is open for the purpose, first, of receiving the compressible material when the feed-box is back under the mouth of the feed-hopper, and, second, to permit such compressible material to fall through into the molds when said feedbox is forward over said molds, as illustrated in Fig. 3. At the rear portion of the feedbox is the cut-off a, which has a smooth upper surface flush with the top of the remaining portion of the feed-box and forms a bottom to the feed-hopper to prevent the descent of the compressible material when the feedhox is in its forward position. (Shown in Fig. 3.) In the preferred form the feed-hopper k has a rectangular discharge-mouth of a configuration conforming to the opening 0 in the front of the feed-box.

The means for insuring the complete filling of the molds when plastic material is being worked consists of the shafts p, which are rotatably mounted in the sides of the feed-box and extend in a direction substantially transverse to the direction of travel of said feedbox. There are one or more of said shafts, preferably two,three, or four, depending upon the nature of the material, the length of the molds, and other considerations. Each shaft has a set of arms or projections (1, which act as cutters and disintegrators to break up and reduce the masses of cohering particles of material and allow the same to fall through the feed-box and fill the mold without lcavinginterstitial spaces therein. In the preferred construction the shafts pare located approximately half-way between the top and bottom of the feed-box, and the arms (1 consist of pins or small rods passing radially through said shafts and of such length as to reach nearly to the top and bottom of the feed-box during their rotation, By preference said arms are staggered that is, arranged at different anglesto increase the efficiency of operation. Said shafts p are rotated by means of sheaves r, mounted thereon outside of the feed-box, said sheaves being driven by means of the ropes or belts .9. Each of said ropes s is attached at one end to the feed-hopper 7: or other stationary part of the machine, thence trained upon said sheaves, and finally led off over a guidesheave 25, mounted upon a fixed shaft 14. A weight Q) is attached to the free end of said ropes to keep the same tight upon said sheaves.

In the drawings I have shown two different arrangements of the ropes s and sheaves driven thereby, although it is evident that a great variety of arrangements may be made. In Figs. 1 to 6, inclusive, there are four shafts p, and each rope s is arranged to drive two adjacent shafts. Looking in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 1, and considering the front shaft p as No. 1, the second shaft 2) as No. 2, and so on, shafts No. l and No. 2 have drivingsheaves tightly mounted on their right ends,

and shafts No. 3 and No. 4 have driving sheaves tightly mounted on their left ends. The sheaves on the left end of No. 2 and right end of No. 3 are idlersthat is, are loosely mounted-and are employed merely as guides and to afford the ropes s a greater drivingsurface on the tight sheaves aforesaid. In this arrangement the rope s on the right trains as follows: from the point of attachment on the hopper It forward over the sheave upon shaft No. l, thence around said sheave to the top of the sheave on shaft No. 2, thence under the idler-sheave on shaft No. 3, and thence over guide-sheave tto the weightr. This is shown, for example, in Fig. 5 of the drawings. The rope s on the left trains from the feed-hopper forward over the idler-sheave on the left end of shaft No. 2, thence around said idler over the tight sheave on the left end of shaft No. 3, thence under the tight sheave on the left end of shaft No. 4, and finally over the left guide-sheave t to the weight w.

The parts operate as follows: hen the feed-box is moving forward in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 2, the right rope 8 upon the tight sheaves r on shafts No. 1 and No. 2 will cause said shafts to rotate, and similarly the left rope a will cause shafts No. 3 and No. 4 to rotate. Inasmuch as the sheaves r on the right end of shaft N o. 3 and left end of shaft No. 2 are loose they will have no effect either to drive or retard their respective shafts. \Vhen the feed-box 7' is back under the feedhopper k, the clay or other compressible material drops into the opening 0 in the front of the feed-box, filling the same and resting upon the top of the tablef. As the feed-box moves forward the compressible material therein is pushed forwardto a position over the molds a and would drop thereinto by gravity if in a sufiiciently dry and pulverulent condition;

but when the material is damp and sticky and comes to the molds in lumps or cohering masses of various size the revolving projections q cut through and disintegrate the masses, so that the material falls into the mold in a finely-divided' state and completely fills said molds, so that there are substantially no remaining interstitial spaces. The pulverizing action is not confined to the point where the feed-box is above the charger, but is continuous from the time the feed-box commences its forward motion. It frequently happens that the particles of material coming to the feed-hopper are of different sizes, some coarse and some fine. The reason for this is that when passing through a screen before reaching the chute the very fine particles pass through at the same time that the largest permissible particles pass through. In coming down the chute and feedhopper the larger particles always tend to gravitate toward the side walls thereof, which is a disadvantage in some articles of manufacture-for example, in the production of building-bricks by the so-called dry-press process. In the latter case the disadvantage would probably be manifest by the granular appearance of the sides of the brick By this present device the arms q, operating continuously throughout the travel of the feed-box, have an opportunity to thoroughly mix the material before it drops into the molds. The effect of the shafts p is not limited to the mixing and disintegrating action; but there is what may be termed a positive feed action, whereby the material is actually forced into the molds. This is because the arms on one side of each shaft are always moving downward, which causes the material to be pressed downward by the downward-moving arms. It is true that some of the arms are always moving upwardly; but such portion of the material as may be temporarily retained by the upwardmoving arms will simply remain in contact therewith until such arms commence their downward motion. Said arms do not actually enter the mold, so that while the downwardmoving arms assisted by gravity and the superimposed. material are effective in forcing the material downward the upwardly-moving arms have no tendency to withdraw such material as may have already entered the mold.

In the arrangement shown in Fig. 7 there are but two shafts p, and on both of them the sheaves '1' are tightly mounted. The rope s leads from the fixed point over and around the front sheave r, then backward over the rear sheave 0' and downward over the guide sheave 25. There may be only one rope a employed, or there may be two, one for each side of the machine, in which latter case each shaft 7; would by preference carry a pinion '1' on each end. Other methods of arranging the shafts and pulleys may be employed without departing from the spirit of my invention.

The construction and the precise location of the hopper 12' is not essential, and. by the term fced-hoppeN as used in the description and claims I mean the lower portion of such feedduct or other material-supplying means as is employed to conduct material from the source of supply to the feed-box. The word hopper is meant to imply more particularly that portion of the feed-duct which is nearest to or in actual contact with the feed-box.

By the term laterally-fixed hopper .I mean to include any construction in which the hopper would be operative if laterally fixed in other words, any hopper in which lateral motion is not necessary for delivery to the molds for it will be noted that in my construction the hopper is not required to come to a point above the molds and subsequently move away to avoid the plunger-s. In my combination of elements no such motion of the hopperis necessary, the feeding function being performed by the feed-box, which is independent of and detached from the hopper, and, furthermore, is positive acting in its operation.

l/Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

i. In a machine for compressing material into form, the combination of a mold, a vertically-reciprocating plunger working therein, a sliding feed-box moving into and out of the line of operation of said plungers, and means mounted within said feed-box in fixed relation thereto and moving therewith for discharging the contents thereof.

2. In a machine for compressing material into form, the combination of a stationary mold having an open top and bottom, vertically-reciprocating plungersworking therein from above and beneath, areciprocatingfeedboX, and rotary means within said feed-box for acting upon the contents thereof.

3. In a machine for compressing material into form, the combination of a laterally-fixed hopper, a feed-box reci n'ocating beneath the same adjacent thereto, and rotary means within said feed-box for acting upon the contents thereof.

t. In a machine for compressing material into form, the combination of a mold, a verti- -callyreciprocating plunger working in said mold, a hopper offset from said mold for noninterference with said plunger, a reciprocating feed-box for carrying material from said hopper to said mold, and means mounted within said feed-box in fixed relation thereto and reciprocating therewith for (flischarging the contents thereof.

5. Ina machine for compressing material into form,'the combination of amold, aver-n cally-reciprocating plunger working in said mold, a laterally-fixed hopper offset from said mold for non-interference with said plunger, areciprocating feed-box for carrying material from said hopper to said mold, and rotating agitating-arms in said feed-box for acting upon the contents thereof.

6. In a machine for compressing material into form, the combination of a stationary mold, vertically-reciprocating plungcrs working therein, a hopper behind said plung a reciprocating feed -box extending substantially from the top surface of the molds to the lower edge of the hopper, and means mounted within said feed-box in fixed relation thereto and reciprocating therewith for discharging the contents thereof.

7 In a machine for compressing material into form, the combination of a stationary mold, vertically-reciprocating plungers worlc ing therein, a hopper located aside from the plnngers, a reciprocating feed-box having an opening in its front portion for the passage of material therethrough, a cut-off at the rear portion of said feed-box, and rotating arms mounted within said feed-box and reciprocating therewith for discharging the contents thereof.

8. In a machine for compressing material into form, the combination with the molds and upper and lower plunger-s working therein, of a hopper, a sliding feed-box reciprocating between said molds and said hopper; and me chanically-rotated discharging means in said feed-box.

9. In combinatiol'i, a mold, a reciprocating feed-box, a shaft journaled in said feed-box, arms on said shafts, and means operated by the motion of the feed-box for rotating said arms.

10. In combination, a mold, a reciprocating feed-box, arms rotatablymounted in said feedbox and a rope and sheave-drive operated by the motion of the feed-box for rotating said arms.

11. In a machine for compressing material into form, the combination of a mold, a reciprocating feed-box, shafts jonrnaled therein, arms on said shafts Within said feed-box, sheaves on said shafts, and means for driving said sheaves.

12. In a machine for compressing material into form, the combination with the mold, reciprocating feed-box, and the fixed parts of the machine, of a shaft journaled in said feedbox, a sheave on said shaft, and a rope for driving said sheave, one end of said rope being attached to a fixed part of the machine and the other end of said rope being attached to a Weight.

13. In a machine for compressing material into form, the combination With the mold, reciprocating feed-box and stationary parts of the machine, of a shaft journaled in said feedbox, arms on said shaft within the said feedbox, a sheave on said shaft for driving the same, a guide-sheave having a fixed axis, and a rope Weighted at one end and attached to a fixed part of the machine at the other end, said rope leading from its point of attachment to said driving-sheave and thence to said guidesheave.

14. In a machine for compressing material into form, the combination of a mold, a hopper, a feed-box reciprocating between said hopper and mold, a shaft journaled in said feed-box, a sheave on said shaft, a rope attached at one end to said hopper, and a Weight attached to the other end of said rope, said rope training over said sheave to drive the same When the feed-box is reciprocated.

HARRY J. FLOOD.

\Vitnesses:

WV. H. WVATKINs, H. E. CRANKsHAW. 

